Improvement in pneumatic signaling apparatus



'2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

.A. CHAMBERS. PNEUMATIC SIGNALING APPARATUS. No.17'5,421. i

Patented March 28, 1876*.

N.PETERS, PHOTO LITHOGRAFHFJL WASM NGYON. D C.

2 Sheets-811a 2 A. CHAMBERS. V PNEUMATIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.. No. 175,4-Z1.- Patented March 28, 1876.-

F lC.6. no.7.

N4 PETERS PHOTCFLITHOGRAPHEH, WASHINGTON D, c.

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFIoE.

AUSTIN CHAMBERS, OF No. 258 MARYLEBONE ROAD, GREAT BRITAIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN PNEUMATIC SIGNALING. APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175, 12 1, dated March 2%, 1876 application filed November 18, 1s75.

To all whom it may concer'iz:

Be it known that I, AUSTIN CHAMBERS, of

.No. 258 Marylebone Road, in the county of Middlesex, Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, signal engineer, have invented Improvements in Pneumatic Signaling Apparatus for Railways, of which the following is a specification 4 This invention has for its object improvements in signaling apparatus for railways, and has reference, mainly, to lIHPIOVGllltIllH upon and further developments of the invention forming the subject of LettersPateut other elastic fluid, means or apparatus for changing the pressure thereof, a collapsible vessel or chamber, a gas or other burner conj nected to said collapsible vessel or chamber,

and fixed glasses or lenses, the whole being so arranged as, by changiug'the pressure of the air or elastic fluid in the apparatus, to effect the necessary movements or changes of position of a light relatively to said fixed glasses or lenses.-

Figure l of the drawing shows in elevation an ordinary signal-post, provided with a senr aphore-arm and with fixed colored lenses, a movable burner, and apparatus for actuating the same pneumatically according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view, showing the top of the lantern and collapsible vessel. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the compressor at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan of the compressor.

a is the signal-post b, the semaphore-arm c, the lantern, divided into two chambers, c c ,one above the other-by an internal division, c which is formed with a hole, through which the burner d passes, guided, by the frame 0. The upper chamber is provided with a lens, 0, for indicating safety, or pass on, and the lower chamber with a dangerlens,? 0 The burner 11 is supplied with gas through the flexible tube f, and is connected to the rod g, which also operates the semaphore-arm, and is itself actuated by the collapsible vessel h, to the upper end of which the rod is connected. The part h of the col lapsible vessel is made of india-rubber or other flexible material, and the other parts may be made of metal, so that when the pressure in the pipe (hereinafter mentioned) does not exceed the normal pressure of the external at-- mosphere, the vessel It will be collapsed. From the fixed lower end of the vessel h a pipe, 6, communicates with the interior of a collapsible vessel,]c. (Shown alsoin-Figs.3and 4.) The lower end of this collapsible vessel 70 is a fixture. Its upper end carries a' guide-rod, it working in guides 70, as also a tube, 70 for guiding the rod or stem Z of a weight, l connected by a chain, 1, or equivalent means, to the shorter arm l of the lever l. The upper end of the collapsible vessel It also has connected to it a couple of chains,j, passing over pulleys j, carried by the fixed frame kl,the'

chains being provided with weights j In Fig. 1 the lever and the parts shown in section in the right-hand portion of the compressing apparatus represent the positions of the parts when the air or gas in the pipe 6 has been compressed, and has expanded or opened out the vessel h, raised the rod 9 and burner 01, and lowered the semaphore-arm b.

When the pressure in the pipe 11 does not exceed the pressure of the external atmosphere, the weight of the rod 9, with its attachments, preponderates over that of the semaphore-arm b, thereby retaining the latter in the horizontal position, indicating danger at all times, until the pressure in the pipe '5 is increased, so as to move the parts into the positions shown in Fig. 1.

0n drawing the lever I over in the direction of the arrow into the position indicated by the dotted line, Fig. 1, the weight Z will be instantaneously raised, thus releasing the upper end of the collapsible vessel is, which will be gradtor to keep hold of the lever l, as this lever will be retained in the position to which it has been moved by an ordinary spring-catch. To again compress the vessel 70, it is simply necessary for the operator to move the lever l back into the position shown in Fig. 1, and to leave it locked. The weight Z will gradually close the vessel k. I provide valves or cocks m at intervals in the pipe 71, leading to distance-signals, whereby the guard of a train or other official may, when necessary, (as, for example, when a train has passed within a distance-signal, and another train is heard in front, but is not visible,) reduce the pressure in the pipei to that of the external atmosphere,'and thereby cause the signal to assume the horizontal position, indicative of danger. 2" is a pipe leading to the oflice of the stationmaster, platformforeman, or other official, wherein is placed an ordinary U-shaped glass water-gage or indicator, 6 the liquid in which, being actuated by the changes of pressure in the pipe 6, will afl'ord a simple and efficient check upon the signal-man in the box containing the lever l. a is an adjustable valve, which may be so adjusted by the station-master or otherofficial as to alter the pressure in the pipe i, either to bring the semaphorearm or signaling body at once to the danger position, or to cause it to assume that posi' tion within any given time by a gradual leakage of air or elastic fluid from the pipe through the valve.

Fig. 5 is a modification adapted for-signaling entirely hymeans of a light. In this case the lamp is divided into three compartments, 0 c 0 by two internal divisions, 030 the collapsible vessel It being arranged within the lower compartment 0 and-carrying the burnor d, which is fed by a flexible tube, f, or oth crwise. c is the safety-lens, and c is the danger-lens. The operation of this arrangement will be evident.

Figs. 6,7, and 8 show a modification in which the light is carried by a swinging arm or bracket, 19. The lamp is divided into two compartments, 0' 0 in the present case, by a vertical division, 0 slotted at 0 and the burner carries two small plates or shutters, c 0 for closing the slot 0 to preventthe light passing from one compartment of the lamp to the other. The collapsible vessel It has connected to it one end of a cord or chain, 12 which passes over a couple of pulleys, .19 p and at its other end carries a weight, 19 This cord or chain is attached to the swinging bracket, so that when the collapsible ves-. sel h is expanded, as shown, the weight 19 moves the bracket into position for showing the light through the safety-lens c, and when a flexible tube;or, in lieu of the bracket shown, an ordinary swinging gas-bracket may be substituted therefor, so as to be operated in the manner shown in-and described with reference to Figs. 6, 7, and 8.

It will be evident that the apparatus above described may be modified so as to move down the semaphore-arms and burners for indicating safety by rarefying air or reducing the pressurcof the elastic fluid in the pipe 1 on movingover the actuating-lever.

Having described my said invention and the manner of carrying it into practical effect, I claim 1. The combination of the vessel h h, pipe 2', charged with elastic fluid, compressor 70, operated by weight-s j Z and the rod 9, connected to the semaphore-arm b, and burner 0, fed with gas by the flexible tube f, and guided by the frame 6, so as to operate in conjunction with the safety and danger lenses 0 c of the lamp 0, carried by the posta, all in the mann -r shown in and describedwith reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, for the purpose specified.

2. As part of a pneumatic signaling apparatus for railways, the pressure-changing apparatus, consisting of the lever 1 l chain l weight l stem 1, tube 70 rod k ,.guide k collapsible vessel 70, chains j, pulleys j and weights j the whole so arranged that the lever may be instantaneously movedover, and that the expansion or collapse of the chamber to alter the signal will be completed automatically, as above described, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a lantern, 0, slotted division 0 lenses 0 0 pipe t, charged with elastic fluid, and apparatus for changing its pressure, of a collapsible vessel, h, burner d, weight p, cord or chain p ,.pulleys 10 p and bracket 19, all substantially in the manner shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, for the purpose specified.

AUSTIN CHAMBERS. 

